MLS Features: New York finally wakes up; McInerney on fire

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - It took a few weeks, but it appears the
New York Red Bulls have finally awoken from their early season malaise,
while Philadelphia Union poacher Jack McInerney is officially on fire as we
look back on Week 8 in Major League Soccer.

TOP STORYLINES

A GOOD PERFORMANCE FROM RED BULL NEW YORK

It's safe to say that through the first eight weeks of the season, the star-
studded New York Red Bulls have failed to live up to the preseason hype
surrounding the team.

New York was handed a tough task last Wednesday when they hosted an in-form
Sporting Kansas City side that had not conceded a goal in its past four
outings.

True to form, SKC posted another clean sheet in a 1-0 win over New York,
leaving the Red Bulls with an early season must-win scenario at Red Bull Arena
on Saturday against the New England Revolution.

Luckily for New York and its fans, the struggling Revs proved to be just what
the doctor ordered.

The Red Bulls seized momentum right from the outset and opened the scoring
just four minutes in through Dax McCarty. New England got it back just two
minutes later when Red Bulls defender Brandon Barklage nodded it into his own
net, but that did little to detract from the Red Bulls' 90-minute dominance.

In the eighth minute, Barklage atoned for his gaffe by providing Fabian
Espindola with an outstanding ball down the right flank and Espindola did the
rest as he cut to the inside and ripped it home low to the far post.

New York put the game away with two more goals in the final eight minutes to
finish off its first complete performance of the season.

"We should have won, we did win and it feels good to get the result," Red
Bulls head coach Mike Petke said. "We took our opportunities tonight and I am
very happy with the guys tonight."

The key for New York will be keeping their good form going and not slipping
back into bad early season habits.

JACK MCINERNEY ON FIRE FOR PHILADELPHIA

Union striker Jack McInerney is absolutely on fire. The 20-year-old forward
scored a brace inside of the first 30 minutes on Sunday to power the Union to
a 3-2 win over D.C. United at RFK Stadium.

McInerney has scored four goals in his last three matches and leads the league
in goal scoring with six tallies, one ahead of Galaxy forward Mike Magee and
TFC forward Robert Earnshaw.

McInerney led the Union in scoring with eight goals last season after being
inserted in the starting 11 in June and has his eyes on a bigger title this
campaign.

"It's definitely in the back of my mind," McInerney told MLSsoccer.com of
potentially winning the Golden Boot crown for the league's top goal scorer. "I
know I'm not going to continue at this pace the whole year, so I told everyone
not to get too excited. But it feels good, and the goals will keep coming if
we're still winning."

McInerney has blossomed in a feared offensive threat under head coach John
Hackworth and could be in line for a call-up by U.S. men's national team coach
Jurgen Klinsmann for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.

If he continues to develop, McInerney could be the future for the U.S.
national team, but for now, continuing to help the Union win matches, while
building his profile in MLS, will suffice.

FC DALLAS'S HOT START CONTINUES

The early season award for the most surprising team goes to FC Dallas.

FCD took the early lead on Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps through an
own goal from Vancouver defender Brad Rusin and added a second goal in the
50th minute through Blas Perez's third tally of the season.

With the 2-0 win, Dallas improved to a league-best 6-1-1 for 19 points.

The backline has been solid and the offense has been providing timely goals.
The only issue for FC Dallas moving forward is how the team handles some
adversity once the early-season hot streak comes to an end.

OTHER MLS ACTION

In other MLS action over the weekend, Houston Dynamo found a late equalizer
through Warren Creavalle to draw Toronto FC, 1-1, while Seattle temporarily
solved its scoring woes in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.

A late header from Jeff Larentowicz lifted the Chicago Fire to a 1-0 win over
the Columbus Crew, while Javier Morales netted the only goal of the match in a
1-0 win over Chivas USA.

In Saturday's nightcap, the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy topped
Sporting Kansas City, 2-0, while Sunday's late game saw Portland and San Jose
battle to a 1-1 draw.

GOAL OF THE WEEK

This week's honor goes to San Jose substitute Adam Jahn, who came on in the
84th minute with his club down a goal and fired it home in stoppage time to
rescue a point for San Jose.

TRENDING UPWARD

Philadelphia Union - McInerney and veteran strike partner Conor Casey were
very much on the same page on Sunday, almost carving up the D.C. United
backline at will in the club's 3-2 win. McInerney has become the Union's go-to
offensive weapon and star attraction. If he can keep up his form, the 20-year-
old can make a run at winning the Golden Boot and could get a call-up to the
National team from Klinsmann for the Gold Cup in July.

New York Red Bulls - It's about time the Red Bulls played up to their
potential. After falling to Sporting KC in midweek, the Red Bulls rebounded
nicely to thump the struggling New England Revolution. Thierry Henry and
Espindola were dangerous all night long and an absolute handful for the
Revs backline. But New York must remain on even keel and repeat the
performance next week.

FC Dallas - FC Dallas has just rolled through their first eight games of the
season, tasting defeat just once. Everything has gone right for Dallas with
solid defensive play and timely goal scoring. But how long will the hot streak
last, and how will they handle a couple losses in a row once it happens?

TRENDING DOWNWARD

New England Revolution - This is how bad things have gotten in New England:

The Revolution finally put an end to a four-game goalless drought in
Saturday's 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls, but the only goal that ended up
in the back of the net for the Revs actually came off the back of Barklage for
an own goal. The Revs have not won since posting a 1-0 road win against
Chicago back on March 9 and have a tough test coming this week against an in-
form Philadelphia side.

San Jose Earthquakes - Jahn seems to specialize in finding late-game
equalizers for the Earthquakes, but it remains that San Jose has not won since
a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders back on March 23. San Jose talisman Chris
Wondolowski was particularly ineffective on Sunday and fellow forward Alan
Gordon will miss two more matches after being levied with a three-game ban
after uttering offensive language in a 1-0 loss to Portland on April 14.

D.C. United - After a stellar 2012 season that saw MLS' flagship franchise
reach the postseason for the first time in five years, United looks lost and
uninterested through seven games this season. Injuries have played a part in
Ben Olsen's club's struggles as Nick DeLeon will miss six weeks with a
hamstring injury, but United was sluggish on Sunday, resulting in the club's
third straight home defeat. D.C. has just four points this season and is
firmly rooted to last place in the Eastern Conference and Olsen will need to
figure things out before United visits the Columbus Crew this weekend.

Also on Saturday, Toronto FC welcomes New York to BMO Field, Montreal Impact
returns from its bye week to host the Chicago Fire, while Dallas looks for its
second straight win over Vancouver. Columbus hosts scuffling D.C. at Crew
Stadium, while Philadelphia hosts New England at PPL Park.

Sporting KC looks for a rebound performance against the Portland Timbers,
while Sunday's game pits Houston against Colorado at BBVA Compass Stadium.